The purpose of this educational unit is to explain the modern cooking technologies available for the luxury client – especially convection, convection steam, and induction cooking – and how they can be used to prepare food quicker that tastes better and is more nutritious.

This article will review basic concepts that could change how you look at materials and your materials specification processes. It begins with understanding the differences between hazard, exposure and risk or danger – the importance of considering product use and exposure and the limitations of using a hazard-only decision making process when selecting building materials. This article also will describe some tools, guidance and resources available for evaluating products and materials to help achieve both a high quality construction project, and one that is safe for building occupants. Finally, this article will provide information to help you use building materials safely.

This course seeks to inform architects and LEED professionals, as well as plumbing engineers and designers, about the various aspects of regulatory compliance for plumbing fixtures. The course will review the history and adoption of plumbing codes, standards, and certifications. The course will also provide detailed analysis of how these can help reduce water consumption while maintaining maximum performance.

This course will look at the differences between construction adhesives based on their core chemical makeup. It will compare and contrast VOC regulations and restrictions for indoor air versus those for outdoor air. It will compare the most commonly referenced subfloor adhesive performance specifications, identify their similarities and differences, and point out how lab conditions can differ from “real world” field conditions. The course will finally look at podium construction and the challenges created for adhesives due to varying manufactured wood based substrates and due to VOC restrictions.

This course looks at the latest technologies and offerings in the marketplace of patio doors and sliding glass walls for new and existing homes. Patio doors include sliding doors, as well as in-swing and out-swing doors. Sliding glass walls include stacking, bi-fold, and pocket operational styles.

Moisture intrusion in a wall system can cause numerous building defects as well as health ailments for building occupants. This course will review the cause and effects of moisture intrusion and will discuss how fiber cement panels can be used as a rainscreen to mitigate this moisture. We will identify different rainscreen technologies and ASTM and AAMA testing standards that measure their performance. By the end of the course you will understand basic design approaches and guidelines for installing fiber cement panels as a rainscreen.

Commercial facilities using reclaimed water for flushing toilets and urinals should be mindful of the negative impact this harsher water can have on the plumbing systems, including flushometers. New flushometers are available that have been specifically engineered for reclaimed water applications.

This course will cover the importance of water conservation, how reclaimed water contributes to water conservation, the risks that reclaimed water poses for traditional flushometers, and how new reclaimed water flushometers address these risks, as well as reclaimed water flushometer options available on the market today.

Excessive and unrestricted light from bollards, columns, and post tops can negatively impact people, animals, and the environment. However, fixtures that are designed to Dark Sky specifications can dramatically reduce the amount of sky glow and light pollution while saving energy and mitigating impact on the environment. This learning unit will explore the concept of Dark Sky and how architects can specify luminaires to help reduce light pollution and encourage a healthier and more responsible approach to lighting.

The objectives of sustainable design are broader than just environmental effects, having come to embrace issues of human health and performance. Many factors influence whether a building has a positive or negative impact on its occupants. This course highlights remarkable buildings where the use of wood as a structural or finish material has made a unique contribution, with a focus on indoor air quality, acoustics, physical health, and a natural, positive human response to wood that has always been intuitive, but is increasingly being proven by research and experience.

The objectives of Architecture 2030 require strategies that rethink how we plan, design, and construct buildings in order to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas. One building strategy that has gained favor throughout some parts of the world and is currently growing in the U.S. is the idea of natural ventilation. This paper examines the case for natural ventilation—what it means for the build environment, how natural ventilation principles are applied, and a proven way forward for designers committed to the Architecture 2030 initiative.